140 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. IV. ;.Queen conformift, a great and general fcholar, an able linguifl, a deep di- L'zabeth, vine; and that for his excellency of Rile, exaétnefs of method, and fub- '5 fîan.e of matter in his writings, he went beyond moll of our Theo_ logifts. L. ofParker, As Sampfnwas thus deprived, fo were others who would not enter into 187, 192, bonds to wear the fquare cap. Of this nun»ber was George Withers, a 599. man of good learning, preacher at Bury St. Edmonds, in SuOòlk ; but at the prefiing inftances of the people, he Pent a letter to the archbifhop to let him know, he would rather firain his confcience -a little, than difcourage the godly, or let the wicked have their mind. He afterwards preached at Cambridge, and preffed the univerfity to deftroy the fuperfti- tious paintings in the glafs windows, which occafioned fome diforder; upon which, not long after, ha travelled to Geneva, Zurich, and other places, and after fome years, returned and became parifh minifter of Dan- bury in Efex, fubmitting to the rites for peace fake, though he did not approve of them, which was the cafe of many others., While the cafe of the Oxfàrd divines was under conlideration, his grace was confulting how to reduce the London puritans: he was afraid to prefs them with the ADVERTISEMENTS, becaufe the queen could not be prevailed with to put the feal to them ; he therefore Pent them again to the fecretary with a letter to the queen, praying, that if not all, yet " at leaft thofe articles that related to the apparel, might be returned L. ofParker, as with fome authority." But the queen was firm to her former refo- p. 212, 254. lution ; the would give no authority to the advertfements; but to fup- port her commißioners iffued a proclamation, peremptorily requiring uniformity in the habits, upon pain ofprohibition from preaching, and deprivation. Proceedings Hereupon the archbifhop confulted with men learned in the civil law, with the what method to proceed in ; and then concluded with the content of Londonder- the reft of the commißioners, to fummons the whole body of paltors gy and curates, within the city of London, to appear at Lambeth, and to examine every one of them upon this queftion, Whether they wouldpro- mife conformity to the apparel eftabl ed by law, and tellify the fame by f tb/cription oftheir hands? Thofe who demurred were immediately to be fufpended, and after three months deprived cf their livings. To pre- pare the way for this general citation, it was thought proper, firft to fummon the reverend Mr. John Fox, the martyrologtft, that the reputa- tion of his great piety, might give the greater countenance to the pro- ceedings of the commitlioners; but when they called upon him to fub- (cribe, he took his Greek Teftament out of his pocket,' and faid, To this Iwill fubfrcribe. And when they offered him the canons, he refufed, faying, 1 have nothing in the church but a prebend in Salifbury, and much good
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